Opioid Response Update: Updated Data, Naloxone Trainings, Emergency Rule Making
With three weeks of real time data reported to us, there has been 661 possible opioid overdoses in Arizona, with 8 percent of those resulting in death. This is cumulative data since Governor Ducey’s executive order for enhanced surveillance went into effect on June 15. The report for June 15 to July 6 shows that the highest percent of suspected opioid overdoses [...]
Keep Your Skin Safe in the Sun this Summer
Temperatures in many areas of the state won’t be dwindling down anytime soon, so practicing good sun safety is important. Wearing sunscreen every day is the one of the best ways to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays. Even on cloudy days, the sun’s rays can damage your skin. Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Apply [...]
Summer Lunch Buddies Helps Kids Eat Healthy Meals
Each summer, free healthy meals are available to children ages 18 and younger at approved sites across Arizona as part of the Summer Lunch Buddies program. Sites are operated by schools, nonprofit agencies or local governments and are located in low-income neighborhoods where many children receive free or reduced price school breakfast and lunch during the school year. During the [...]
Highly Skilled Disease Investigators Help Prevent Illnesses
One of the important cogs in the public health wheel is a skilled communicable disease investigator (CDI). These are dedicated professionals from various educational backgrounds, including nursing, environmental health, life or behavioral sciences, and public health/epidemiology. Enteric disease investigators are CDIs that specialize in diseases that affect the intestines, usually causing symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Enteric disease investigators [...]
Opioid Response Update: More Real Time Data Reported
This week marks our second week of posting a report of real time data reported to us from healthcare providers, first responders, law enforcement agencies, and pharmacists in our coordinated response to the alarming increase in opioid deaths in Arizona. The data is cumulative since June 15, with a total of 444 suspected opioid overdoses, 36 of them fatal, reported to [...]
Flu Virus Lingers in Arizona in Summer Months
While summer may be in full swing, the influenza season is lingering longer than usual here in Arizona. In June, we typically see around 200 laboratory confirmed influenza cases. This year there were nearly 1,300 confirmed influenza cases in June . Our ADHS disease detectives and county health departments monitor influenza activity all year. In the summer, disease detectives perform [...]